Poisoned
by Genni Stanfer
Summary: Mercy wishes herself away to a Kingdom in the Underground where a King who could be the devil himself rules. The land is dying and she is the key to saving it. Mercy wonders what price she will have to pay to help the King who will stop at nothing to save his poisoned land. Based on Alice Cooper's music and stage shows, influenced by Labyrinth.
1. Chapter 1

Mercy wishes herself away to a Kingdom in the Underground where a King who could be the devil himself rules. The land is dying and she is the key to saving it. Mercy wonders what price she will have to pay to help the King who will stop at nothing to save his poisoned land. Based on Alice Cooper's music and stage shows, influenced by Labyrinth.

Disclaimer: I don't own obviously Alice Cooper or his music or Labyrinth. I thank Jim Henson forever for that film.

Songs used (in order of appearance):  
"Only Women Bleed" written by Alice Cooper and Dick Wagner  
"Only My Heart Talkin'" written by Alice Cooper, Bruce Roberts, and Andy Goldmark  
"Poison" written by Alice Cooper, Desmond Child, and John McCurry  
"Might As Well Be On Mars" written by Alice Cooper, Dick Wagner, and Desmond Child  
"Be With You A While" written by Alice Cooper and Eric Dover  
"You're My Temptation" written by Alice Cooper, Jack Blades, and Tommy Shaw  
"This Maniac's In Love With You" written by Alice Cooper, Desmond Child, Bob Held, and Tom Teeley

POISONED (2004-2013)  
By: Genni Stanfer

Chapter 1  
Somewhere in a land further away than any human can understand and yet close enough reach out and touch, a king ruled. His name was Vincent. He sat on his throne in his castle. A boa constrictor slithered around him, its tongue flicking in and out, testing the air. Vincent looked human, but possessed magic abilities. He had dark hair almost black that was untamed and fell just past his shoulders. He wore black leather pants which came up high on his waist and were done up with a suede lace. He also wore a black shirt that hung loose and open at the front, black calf boots, and black leather gloves. Two large belts circled his waist. One with a skull at the front and centre, the other was covered with metal studs. In one hand he held a riding crop.

The throne room was made out of black stone. There were mirrors on the walls, but none of them rectangular or round in shape, instead the sides were unmatched and uneven at different lengths. The frames were black depicting serpents. In the center of the room was a pit alive with the slithering of snakes and the floor was covered with dried leaves which had blown in from outside the castle.

Vincent had seemed deep in thought when Alice, the constrictor, had slithered across his chest and around his shoulders. Though most would think of the name Alice as belonging to a female, the snake was in fact male. No one really knows or remembers why the snake was given such a name, but all had become so used to it, they never thought twice about it anymore.

Suddenly a guard came rushing into the throne room yelling, "There's a girl on the steps to the castle!"

"What?", Vincent asked in a quiet yet menacing tone. He stared at the guard as if he were mad. Alice slithered to the ground.

"A girl, your majesty", he replied with a trembling voice.

Vincent got up and walked out to the balcony with Alice trailing behind him. Vincent looked over the rail as Alice slithered up his leg, then around his waist to finally rest upon his shoulders. They were both shocked to find that a girl was in fact lying below on the steps. "How could a human come into our world? I closed the gate years ago," Vincent wondered aloud.

_"You know the only way for a human to enter our world is if they wish for it with all their being, whether they know another world outside theirs exists or not,"_ Alice replied, not out loud with words, but in Vincent's mind._ "Also . . ."_

"What?" Vincent snapped.

_"She could be the one in the prophecy."_

"I doubt it, but we'll see. Send someone to bring her up."

Alice slithered back to the ground again and left the balcony. Vincent stared at the girl for a little while longer then went back to his throne.

Shortly thereafter four pythons which had transformed to human form from the waist up, brought forth the girl, each carrying a limb. Vincent left his throne to inspect her.

She lay unconscious. She was very thin. Her clothes were stained with dirt and soaked through. Vincent sneered with disgust when he saw bruises on her arms. He could sense, even smell the man who had done it to her. Vincent may be cruel and even have no use for women, but he still would never stoop to such a level as to hit one. Humans sickened him. He took his riding crop and pushed her hair back from her face and saw the deep gash on her forehead. He also noticed the dark circles under her eyes. Vincent's own eyes narrowed and grew dark. "Take her to one of the unoccupied rooms. I'll be there to question her in a minute."

They nodded and left. Vincent glared at Alice to stop him from saying what he knew was on both their minds. _Could she save their Kingdom?_ Then he headed for the room where he sensed they had taken her.

~*~*~*~*  
He stood for a moment, staring at her lying on the bed. What was he going to do? Should he listen to Alice that this girl may be the one? His land was dying. There was no hope left. He had done all that he could, but evil had seeped into their world long ago. It had found a home in his kingdom and continued to grow, increasing power everyday. Soon there would be nothing left. Even the creatures who lived here had begun to grow hostile.

The prophecies spoke of a human girl of the light and from a distant world, who has the power to heal. He sighed. He had to do something or there would be no land left to save. The girl would have to stay here for now. He had better heal her or the hope Alice thought they had would be gone too.

He moved closer. She had come through the gate he had long since closed. She must have had a terrible need to escape her own world and cross the barrier. Her passage had not been easy. Besides the bruising, she had numerous cuts on her skin and her clothes were in shreds from the resistance she had been met with. He also could see through the slashes in her night gown that her left breast had purple smudges on it. His lips curled back. "Humans!" He sat on the bed and removed what remained of her night gown. He removed the glove from his right hand and reached out towards her heart. Just then she awoke.

Mercy gasped and shrank away when she saw him, grabbing a pillow to cover herself. She felt as if she were staring into the face of the devil himself. Had she entered Hell? His eyes, which were such a dark blue they were almost black, had dark circles around them with dark lines running down his face. There were also black lines running from the corners of his mouth to his chin, almost as if he had drunk the devil's blood and survived, and this was proof of the trials he had overcome. But underneath the stains she could see that he wasn't ugly and she had the feeling he was not as evil as he looked.

"Am I dead?" She found the courage to ask when he only stared.

"Are you in pain?" he asked mockingly.

"Yes," she replied hesitantly, wondering what he was getting at.

"I think when you're dead you don't feel anything." He paused then added, "Unless maybe if you're in hell, which isn't too far from the truth."

Mercy shivered, now taking notice of how her whole body ached on top of the pain from the bruises and cuts. When she tried to move further away a moan escaped before she could stop it.

"I can heal you, and if you want to live I'm going to have to since travelling through the closed gate almost killed you. And it would kill all but a select few. Actually you don't have a choice anyway."

"I don't understand. Who are you and where am I?"

"I'm Vincent." He hesitated, not wanting to give her any information knowing what she could do with it. But the fates had decided. She was not going to be leaving here. Anyone else who came here would never leave again. "I'm the King of this land. You're in my castle. Now tell me who you are and how you got here."

"My name's Mercy. How I got here, I don't know . . . I was running, I fell, and I woke up here."

His eyes darkened again. She wasn't telling him everything, but for her to cross the borders she had to of wanted to escape desperately. She struggled to sit up and winced at the pain shooting through her body. As he moved closer, she shrank away and he could tell it wasn't just because he was a stranger and his appearance startled her. It was something deeper. People in her world had not been kind to her. Some of the marks on her were old. She had been attacked before.

Her eyes darted towards the door, but if she ran where would she go in this strange world. There could be something far worse waiting out there and maybe Vincent knew how to get her back home. Besides she didn't think she had the strength to get out of the bed let alone run anyway. She turned her attention back to him. Her body shaking as he neared.

He needed to put energy into her whole system to stop her from dying, but he could tell from her fear that he would have to go slow and start with some superficial wounds.

Vincent reached out his hand again and she gasped when he touched her face. Holding her breath she let it out when she realized the pain from the gash on her forehead was gone. The wound had completely healed!

Both hands, now gloveless at his mere thought, rested on her shoulders. She flinched away from his touch, her body very aware of the man. His hands slid down her arms and rested over the finger marks there. As they lingered on that spot, his eyes grew darker still and she tried to swallow the fear in her throat. This man she didn't even know who looked like he had been to hell and back, held her in his hands and could attack her at any moment. Yet his hands continued on, all the way down to her fingertips and the pain was gone. He couldn't risk wasting any more time and energy now. He tried to pull away the pillow she was clutching to her chest.

"I can't," she whispered desperately.

"You'll die," he said simply. She looked into his eyes and knew that she had no choice. Reluctantly she let him pull the pillow away. She gasped and blushed when he put his hand over her heart. She felt her whole body grow cold and then warm. She felt as if every cell in her body was being energized. A bright light shone out from beneath his hand, as if coming from her heart and soul. He took his hand away and she blinked at him. She suddenly felt so alive, when a minute ago she felt, and a part of her believed, that her life was coming to an end.

"The burst of energy you feel now won't last long. I'll heal the rest of your injuries then you have to sleep." She could tell by his voice that healing her had drained much of his energy. He stared at the finger marks on her breast and she looked away in shame, but she turned back to him in surprise when he started to sing. His voice wasn't beautiful. It was rough and jagged, but the words made her cry with their truth.

"Man got his woman to take his seed  
He got the power - oh, she got the need  
She spends her life through pleasing up her man  
She feeds him dinner or anything she can  
She cries alone at night too often  
He smokes and drinks and don't come home at all  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed

Man makes your hair gray, he's your life's mistake  
All you're really lookin' for is an even break  
He lies right at you, you know you hate this game  
He slaps you once in a while and you live and love in pain  
She cries alone at night too often  
He smokes and drinks and don't come home at all  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed

Man got his woman to take his seed  
He got the power - oh, she got the need  
She spends her life through pleasing up her man  
She feeds him dinner or anything she can  
She cries alone at night too often  
He smokes and drinks and don't come home at all  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed

Black eyes all of the time  
Don't spend a dime  
Clean up this grime  
And you there down on your knees begging me please  
Come watch me bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed  
Only women bleed"

She flinched at how accurate his words were. How did he know so much about it? She knew he understood. He did not condone such treatment of women. His words gave her a small measure of trust. She looked into his eyes and nodded for him to continue healing her.

Her head had barely moved, but he saw her assent. His hand touched the mark on her breast and in that brief moment he relived what was done to her. His eyes flashed lightning and her breath left her, but he quickly continued on. There was a deep gash on her side and thigh. When he was done healing those he asked her, "Where else were injured?"

Mercy hesitated then reluctantly pointed to her back. She slowly turned so he could see. There were marks on her, old scars and he knew that more than one man had hurt her in her short life. He put his hand on her back to heal the raised red and purple vertical line bisecting her spine. A chill ran through her as he touched it.

"Go to sleep now," he said when he was finished. She ducked under the covers and despite the energy she felt before, she fell instantly asleep.

Vincent made his way to a chair in the corner. Physically drained, he too slept.

_Mercy was jolted awake by a crash downstairs._ It was him! How had he found her?_ Without stopping to change from her nightgown into some clothes, she ran into the hallway and hid in the closet. She tried to steady her breathing and quiet her pounding heart. She heard the floorboards creak as he passed, making his way down the hall to her bedroom. She swallowed then opened the door a crack just in time to see him disappear into her room. She quickly ran down the stairs, but it was too dark to see and she banged into a table._

_He heard the noise and came tearing down the stairs before she could get to her car keys. He grabbed her roughly by the arms, bruising them. She struggled to break free but he shoved her back against the railing of the stairs. He held her there and grabbed her breast roughly. "I'll teach you for running away from me."_

_She did the only thing she could think of and brought her knee up. It connected with his groin. He immediately released her, cursing her as he doubled over in pain. She ran out of the house and into the field. She lived out in the country with no other houses in sight. There would be no one to hear her screams. She thought it would have been harder for him to find her out here, but she realized too late that if he did find her it would be all to easy for him to harm her and not much she could do about it. She sent out a silent prayer - a wish - that she could escape. Escape more that just the man following her, escape this world altogether. She kept running until her lungs burned and her legs turned into rubber. Her feet dragged more and more until she finally tripped. Her head connected with a rock and then everything went black . . ._

Mercy awoke and it took her a moment to realize where she was. She looked at her surroundings and knew it hadn't been a dream. Her trip to this strange land had been real and someone had healed her . . .

She jumped in surprise when she saw him sitting in the corner watching her. _Had he been there all night?_

Vincent had watched her tossing and turning in her sleep. She even cried out a couple times. For some reason it made him feel . . . he settled on the word _**uncomfortable**_, though truthfully it felt more like concern. Having concern for a girl like her was an impossibility since that day . . .

"That was some dream you were having," he said in a mocking tone. He waited for her to give him the details of the dream, but she only shivered and said nothing.

Slightly irritated he said bluntly, "Now that you're feeling better we should get something straight. You coming to this land was a huge mistake on your part. Humans have been banished long ago. They destroyed this part of the Underground, which is our home. I closed the gates between our worlds, so I'm not sure how you got through, but now that you're here, you can't go back. You can't leave."

"What? You can't keep me here forever! I don't belong here!"

"Oh, and you did where you were before? Is your world worth going back to?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know how I got here. It was a mistake!"

"There's only one possible way to come here and that's to wish you were here."

"But I didn't mean it."

"Oh you didn't? You must have been in desperate need to cross through the gates after I closed them. You are the first person to do it."

"But why can't I go back?"

"Because that's how our land was destroyed!"

She wanted to protest and question him more, but his sudden anger frightened her into silence. After a minute he continued in a calmer tone. "For now you'll stay here, in the castle, until I decide what to do with you. You can go down to the kitchen and get something to eat. The bathroom is through there." He pointed to a door to her right. "If you want to bathe, I'll send someone up." He held out his hand and his gloves appeared in it. He pulled them on and left before she could say anything more.

After Vincent left, before Mercy could think on what he'd said, the door opened a crack and a bat flew in. Mercy screamed. The bat landed on her bed then transformed into a human woman, except for her wings which had grown to match the size of her new form.

"Hi, I'm here to help you get cleaned up." The bat/woman got up, stuck her head out the door, and called for water to be brought up.

"Who are you?" Mercy asked trying to keep her surprise in check.

"I'm Mary and I hear you're the one who made it through the gate. You sure must have been in dire straits to accomplish that."

There was a knock at the door and the water was brought in by more women similar to Mary. They filled up the tub and left. Mary took Mercy's hand and led her to the tub. "Are you really the one to save our world?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. Where am I? What's this gate? Do you know how I can get back?"

"Our Kingdom is one of many in the Underground, a world that parallels yours. The two worlds rarely connect or cross, but there have been some exceptions. We cannot survive in any other Kingdom or in your world, Aboveground, though we can stay there for a short time. At one time the gate between your world and our Kingdom was always open. Humans who wished to escape their world could come through. That's how I came here. They could become a part of the Kingdom if they wanted to, with certain abilities. Once you came you didn't leave. Few ever wanted to or if they did, they would not have a way back. One day a disaster befell us that slowly began killing our world. It is dying even now, so the gates were closed for all time. You must have had great need and great power to make it through."

"I don't have any power. What happened that caused this world to start dying?"

"We don't speak of that day for fear of loosing our heads. If the King found out . . ." she whispered glancing nervously to a mirror on the wall. "The prophecies suggest you can save our world."

"Me? How can I save it?"

"No one knows for certain."

"I think there's been a mistake."

"Oh, I've probably said too much already. Come on. Let's get you dressed and something to eat. You must be starving."

On cue Mercy's stomach growled it's agreement as she got out of the tub.

Vincent stood outside the castle speaking with Alice. "Have you found anything out about our situation? You know we have maybe a month left."

_"I know,"_ Alice sighed in his head._ "You know about the rumours that the Labyrinth was having an unpleasant time, but somehow there was a wondrous turnabout even involving a human girl?"_

"Yes, I had heard something about that. Send a messenger to the Labyrinth to try and find out all they can about this. It could help us."

_"I'll send someone right away, but what about the girl?"_

"We'll have to be careful with the evil tainting the land and everyone in it."

_"Yes, I've noticed some of our python guards getting restless and even violent. She may be attacked."_

A kind of ice fire leapt in Vincent's eyes for a moment. He knew all too well what could happen and he was sure Mercy, from past experiences with men, knew it too. Vincent wordlessly headed back into the castle.

Alice watched him go, shaking his head. What would he do when the messenger brought back word? He hadn't wanted to tell Vincent about the Labyrinth, but he had to give him something. Alice knew the rest of the prophecy. He had damaged the book himself to prevent Vincent from seeing it.

_'The one who holds the power to heal, is one of light from a distant world, but only by a love that's real, can it be done by King and girl.'_

Vincent would never get close to a woman again. They had so little time. Alice hoped nature would take its course. If Vincent knew about the prophecy he might try to create something that wasn't there just to save the kingdom and its people. Alice knew that it wouldn't work that way.

After being shown the kitchens where she was given some food by the cook, Mercy stepped into the empty dinning hall. It was massive. It had high ceilings and large glass windows with heavy red drapes. In the centre of the room was a huge table that seemed to stretch on forever. She walked over to one of the windows to the left of the table and peered out. The sky was dark and cloudy. She could see the front steps where she had first landed when she had entered this world. Beyond that was a forest of leafless trees. It appeared to be nearing Winter here though the temperature was warm.

"Enjoying the view?"

Mercy jumped out of her skin. She didn't hear Vincent approaching. Trying to cover up her surprise she asked, "How big is your kingdom? What's beyond that forest? Are there towns and villages?"

"The Kingdom is vast. The land's mostly forest, but there's a village to the west, a short distance from the castle. Once the evil set in, it not only destroyed the land, but also affected all the creatures in it. The people here used to have homes throughout the forest as well, but now most roam wildly about. The small number who have not been affected yet moved into the castle for protection. Time is running out for our Kingdom. I think we have only a month left, but I don't want to cause mass hysteria. The people here don't know the end's so near, but the food is nearly all gone and it's been Fall ever since . . ." he trailed off. "There's no sunlight anymore . . ." he said distractedly. Then coming back to himself, he continued. "The neighbouring Kingdoms have tried to help us, but there's not much they can do. We can visit their land but can't stay there long. We can only survive in our own."

"Mary said I may be able to help, but I don't see how."

"Really?" Vincent raised an irritated eyebrow. It seemed the woman had a loose tongue.

"Please don't be angry with her."

Vincent regarded Mercy with surprise that she was concerned for someone she just met, especially a creature like Mary. Finally he sighed. Again, what could she do with this information with the gate now closed?

"Yes, we don't know how yet, but the prophecy foretells that someone of light from a distant world will have the power to heal this land. Also one of our neighbouring kingdoms, the Labyrinth, was in a similar situation. They were not as far gone as we are, but a human girl supposedly saved their land somehow. I sent a messenger to try and find out all he can about how they were able to save it."

"What if I do help to save it, then can I leave?"

"No, anyone who comes through can't go back."

"Why?"

"Don't ask that."

"But will I die if I stay in your world?"

"I doubt it because you were able to make it though in the first place and survive. You must have a bit of the power. So I'd say you can survive in the Underground. Actually it's Aboveground where you don't belong. Eventually it would have killed you, or at the very least you would have gone insane."

Mercy would have laughed at his prediction if the words hadn't sent a chill down her spine and if it weren't for the fact that his eyes said he spoke the truth. She wondered what had happened so long ago to send his world into darkness.

"You can come to the kitchens anytime for food. If you want to go into town, I'll take you, but never leave the castle alone and don't go wandering around the castle either." With that he left.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Vincent proceeded to his chambers. They were sparsely furnished or decorated, seemingly cold and isolated like he himself had become. The room had a high, vaulted ceiling, a large canopy bed, and a fireplace which was rarely used. A large rug covered the stone floor around the bed and a couple of wooden chandeliers hung from the ceiling. The wax from the ancient candles seemed as though they would drip for eternity. A few large mirrors adorned the walls.

He sat in the window, looking at the land. Unable to stop them, his thoughts turned to Mercy. He thought of how she didn't get hysterical at the news that she couldn't leave. She thought about it and seemed to accept what he'd told her even though this new world was doomed. What had happened to her in her life was tragic. He was sure he knew all to well her story, but he didn't pity her. Instead he admired her for her strength and courage. She was beautiful . . .

But it didn't matter. They were all the same. The same thing would happen if he got too close, let her get under his skin. What was he thinking, keeping her here? She would probably bring ruin to the whole Kingdom. He should have sent her back right away.

He was doubtful she would be able to make it back through a second time and he doubted she could bring anyone else with her now that he had closed the gate. It could only be an extreme rare case that would make it through. Not that it mattered anyway. Life in this Kingdom was surely soon to end. He didn't see how Mercy could help anyway, seeing as how it was a woman like her who had destroyed everything to begin with. He let out an anguished cry of frustration. He had to find a way to save the land . . .

Mercy jumped at the cry she heard. The tortured sound tore at her heart. Before she could wonder what kind of poor creature had made such a sound, Alice slithered into the dinning room startling her. Mercy gasped.

_"Oh, I frightened her."_ Mercy looked around. Where was that voice coming from? It sounded as if it were in her head. _"You can hear me?"_ Alice asked, noticing her looking about.

"Yes." She looked at the snake, realizing the voice was coming from it. "You can talk?" Her surprise and curiosity helping her to get past any fear she had of the discovering the Boa.

_"Of course, but only my kind and ones like Vincent can hear me."_

"Then why can I hear you? I'm not like him."

_"But obviously on some level, you are. How else do you think you were able to come through the gate and in one piece too?"_

"I don't know! I don't know anything that's happening! I can't belong here, yet I feel that I do." Mercy sank into one of the dinning room chairs. "I never did feel like I belonged where I was," she confessed. "Can you tell me what happened? What would cause this Kingdom to die?"

Alice slithered up the leg of a chair and coiled up on the table. _"Well many years ago a girl entered our world through the gate. It was always open to specific locations. Vincent was partial to the Aboveground. There was something about it that called to him. He would go time and again to observe. Anyone who wanted to come here could. They would stay and become like us, able to change form from human to snake or to bat or any other creature. One day _**she**_ came through . . . Ethyl._

_Vincent fell in love with her. He thought she would stay with him. She stayed for years, but she wanted to go back Aboveground. She began to miss it. All who came through never went back, but Vincent loved her and could not let her be unhappy. She promised to return and after some years she did, but she brought with her others, her new husband among them. She showed them all the location of the gate, but they did not belong here. Their presence poisoned the land. They traveled back and forth, bringing more people with them, but they couldn't live here. The ones who stayed too long died. Vincent, even though he had been so angry with her, begged Ethyl to leave. The magic within her had changed, became poisoned and she no longer belonged here either. If she remained, she would die too, but she refused to listen. Vincent knew he had only one choice and that was to close the gate. Such a thing had never been done in this Kingdom's history or in any of the Kingdoms of the Underground, but Vincent did it._

_He went into the depths of Hell to do it and was marked to prove it. He didn't always look that way. He came back with dark eyes and stains on his face. Some say the Devil marked him as his servant. Others think Vincent actually died down there and was brought back to life, the marks proof of his death. Yet others whisper that his eyes bled from the sights he had seen and that he had been forced to drink the devil's blood, but we will never know because he has never spoken of it and I doubt he ever will."_

Mercy sat staring in silence, thinking of what Vincent had gone through to try and save his world and yet the end was coming soon. She didn't believe he was evil or a servant of the Devil. Not when he was trying so hard to save his kingdom and all the people in it. From her past experiences she knew what evil really looked like. Though admittedly she didn't find out until it was too late. But Vincent hadn't hurt her, well at least he hadn't so far. He's just lived in darkness for so long . . .

She blinked, noticing Alice had slithered back off the table to the floor. "Wait. How am I supposed to help?"

Alice hesitated. He didn't want to chance telling her the whole prophecy in case Vincent found out and Alice was sure that their joining had to be natural or it wouldn't work. _"The prophecy states 'The one who holds the power to heal, is one of light from a distant world, but only by . . . . can it be done by . . . .girl.' Unfortunately the book was damaged and some of the words are no longer legible. So we're not sure how you can help, but we believe it must be you."_ Before Mercy could protest further the boa turned and continued out of the room.

Mercy decided to go in search of Mary. Maybe they could take a trip into town. She didn't want to bother Vincent. Mercy left the dinning hall. Where had Mary gone? In the hallway, four pythons were slithering towards her. She pressed herself against the wall to avoid them. They slowed down, turning their heads to stare at her. They seemed to be talking to each other, coming to some kind of decision. She could hear hissing whispers in her head, but couldn't make out what they were saying. A chill ran down her spine. She shuddered. One started to slither towards her, but it turned its head to pier back down the hall. Then all the snakes continued quickly on in the opposite direction.

Mercy sighed with relief. Suddenly Vincent appeared in the hallway.

"And what are you doing?"

"I was just looking for Mary. Maybe she could take me into town now."

"I told you, I'd take you."

"I didn't want to bother you."

Vincent stared at her a moment, guessing the reason was more because she was afraid of him. "There's not much I can do now until I get word back from the Labyrinth anyway. Besides something tells me I'd better keep an eye on you."  
She wasn't sure if he meant for her protection or for everyone else's, but her heart leapt at the thought of Vincent taking her into town. She was afraid of this man's presence, well, of any man really. Yet it wasn't entirely fear that she felt at the moment.

She didn't want to look too closely at it right now.

They proceeded outside. "Being the King, don't you need bodyguards or something?" For the first time in what seemed an eternity, Vincent actually laughed. Mercy was startled by the sound. It was actually kind of nice and surprisingly comforting to hear.

"No, I have my own defences and weapons. And believe me very few would try to attack me." She believed it. His stare alone could stop anyone cold. "There would be no reason to kill me now anyway. There'd be nothing to gain. As I said, the Kingdom is dying."

A thought crossed Mercy's mind that made her shudder. What if they wanted to sacrifice her? What if that was the only way to save their land?

"What's wrong?" Vincent asked, noticing that she had suddenly gone pale.

"Nothing." If executing her wasn't their intent, she didn't want to give them any ideas. "How long have you been the King here?"

"Hundreds of years." He paused as if in thought, then feeling compelled he added, "My father was King, but my mother lived here in the village. She was a maid at the castle. My father raped her. I was born the same time the Queen and her son both died in childbirth. My father took me from my mother and pretended his wife's child had lived and that I was him. The King threatened my mother that he would harm me if she ever told anyone. I found out the truth, that I was not a legitimate heir, after following my father when he went to visit her. He'd give her money, but he beat her often. I visited my mother in secret until she finally died one day from her injuries. I had begged her to leave, to move far away from here, but she wouldn't. She didn't want me to get hurt if she tried to leave. And the King did beat me sometimes, just to prove that he would to stop her from going. He wanted to keep his hold on her, to use her . . . I've never told anyone that before. I'm not sure why I told you."

There were tears in Mercy's eyes.

"Maybe because you understand. I know your father beat you and someone else, whoever attacked you before you came here. I could tell because I've seen it before."

"Yes, my old boyfriend. First my father beat me. I couldn't take it any longer. I had to get away. I found a guy who turned out to be just like him. I couldn't tell at all at first, but then he suddenly changed. I moved frequently to get away from him but he was obsessed with finding me. He found me that night, but I managed to get away. I was running and I did wish I could escape. I tripped and fell and found myself on the steps of your castle, before I blacked out."

It disgusted Vincent that man could hurt the female of the species, without whom they could not exist. But then the woman could be just as brutal. Maybe not physically but mentally. Never again he silently vowed, would he get involved with one. Then why was he spending time with Mercy? _Insurance_, he told himself. He had to make sure she didn't do any more harm to their world while at the same time making sure nothing happened to her in case she could save it. But why tell her everything? That was a question he couldn't answer.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your mom and I do understand." She put her hand on his arm. Vincent stopped dead and stared into her eyes. He saw only concern and understanding there. But why did she touch him? It had been too long. It was too much. 'Never again'. It echoed in his head. At the same time something seemed to twist inside him. Something was very wrong with this.

Mercy snatched her hand back. Vincent had a pained look in his eyes. Then he doubled over clutching his head. Fire seemed to burn through his brain. What was happening? "Vincent what's wrong?"

"I don't know, just don't touch me. Get back." She did as he asked. Vincent, on his knees now, put one hand on the ground and took some deep breaths until finally, the pain subsided. He stood up. "Come on." He turned back to the castle. "There's something I have to do."

They walked quickly back to the castle. He stopped in front of the door to her chamber. "You had better stay in there for now. I'll send Mary later to take you into town," he said then quickly left.

Vincent went to his chamber. What was he doing? He was beginning to feel. She was causing the pain. It was like an alarm system telling him it wasn't right. He had to stay away from her. Mercy caused Vincent's thoughts to turn to memories he had long suppressed. A face flickered into his mind, one he never wanted to lay eyes upon again. And he never would. That is, unless they met in Hell when he passed from this world to the hereafter. She had gotten what she deserved in the end . . .

That was the last time he'd felt for someone. He looked back with disgust on the time when he had begged her not to leave . . .

_"Why do you want to go back? What do you have waiting for you that I can't give you here?" She had made up her mind. She was leaving and there didn't seem to be anything he could say that would change that. He could force her to stay, but he loved her too much for that._

_Something was pulling Ethyl back Aboveground. She felt a homesickness she couldn't explain. "I have to go back. I can't explain why."_

_"Stay here and marry me. You can be a Queen and rule over an entire Kingdom. Power, wealth, magic, it's all yours . . ." He caught the gleam in her eye, the desire within her to have all these things._

_"It's not enough," she whispered after a time._

_He didn't know what more she could possibly want. All he knew was how he felt and it tore him apart to let her go, but finding words to explain his feelings had always been difficult for him, so he sang instead. His songs had won her over before._

_"Anybody's dream can fall apart_  
_Anybody's mask can break_  
_Couldn't tell you how I wanted you_  
_Enough to make you want to stay_  
_I never said the words out loud_  
_I guess I couldn't get 'em straight_  
_Baby, give me one more chance_  
_Before you walk away_

_It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Sayin' things I never thought I'd say_  
_Can't you hear me knocking_  
_I tried to fool you but it wouldn't play_  
_'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'_  
_Oh baby, it's talkin'_  
_Talkin' to you_

_Everytime I take it to the edge_  
_Everytime I'm so afraid_  
_Don't you know I cry my eyes out, babe_  
_Everytime you look away_  
_Oh, I almost dropped a tear_  
_But I caught it just in time_  
_I'd say those things you want to hear_  
_If you'd help me, help me, help me try_

_It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Sayin' things I never thought I'd say_  
_Can't you hear me knocking_  
_Tried to fool you but it wouldn't play_  
_'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'_  
_Baby, it's talkin'_  
_Talkin' to you_

_Well, I don't want to hide away_  
_Hide away without you, baby_  
_Don't you go and run away_  
_Come and help me, baby_  
_Just a little help, baby_  
_Oh, my little baby_

_It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Sayin' things I never thought I'd say_  
_Can't you hear me knocking_  
_I tried to fool you but it wouldn't play_  
_'Cause my heart it's talkin', it's talkin'_  
_Baby, it's talkin'_  
_Talkin' to you_

_It's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Yeah, it's only, only, only, only my heart talkin'_  
_Talkin' to you_  
_It's my heart that does the talkin'_  
_talkin' to you_  
_talkin' to you . . ."_

_She smiled sadly. She knew he loved her, but she couldn't bring herself to tell him she didn't feel quite the same way he did. "I have to go, but I'll return soon. I promise."_

Alice sent one of their bats to the Labyrinth to find out all he could. Making it clear the messenger was to report any information only to him. Though the bat would have to stop during the day, it would be faster by air than with any of their land creatures. Though Alice would have preferred the news to come back at a slower pace to give Vincent and Mercy a chance, he had to make every effort to look like he was still searching for an answer with the rest of them. Besides, there weren't many left who hadn't changed due to the evil taint that now poisoned their Kingdom. The castle and village were nearly deserted with most moving into the forest now.

How was he going to get Vincent and Mercy to fall in love? Vincent, even if he did truly fall, would never admit or except it. He would be hard for Mercy to reach.

Mary came to Mercy's room later and they went into town. It was nearly deserted, but they managed to get some dresses and things. Mercy returned to her room and hung them in the wardrobe. Mary had arranged for supper to be brought up, on orders from the king that Mercy would go nowhere unaccompanied and stay in her room as much as possible.

Mercy ate distractedly. She couldn't stop thinking about her conversation with Vincent. Everything he had revealed to her . . . _**only**_ her. And she had told him her story too, she recalled with surprise. They seemed to have a connection. She felt a pull towards him. She had learned so much about him today. The life he had lived, the sacrifices he had made . . . But what had happened to him when she touched him? What caused that sudden attack?

Finally she gave up on her meal. With all that had happened today she felt too restless to stay in her room and go to bed. She was too curious for her own good. She couldn't stop herself from wanting to explore the castle.

She slipped silently from her room and continued further down the hallway. When she came to the end of the hall another hallway lead left and right. At the end of the hall to the left was a stairway that lead downward, to the right she could see a brightness. She headed right and found a huge balcony where she could survey the land on the opposite side of the castle. She gazed over the railing for a time. It began to grow dark and cool. Torches on the wall behind her suddenly sprang to life. Mercy spun around with surprise and found Vincent standing behind her.

Vincent had come to his favourite spot in the castle and was shocked to find Mercy there. This balcony had the best view in the entire castle and even though it was dark Vincent had no trouble seeing. He preferred the shadows. "What are you doing here?" he demanded. "I told you not to wander around the castle alone."

Mercy cowered back. "I'm sorry I didn't want to stay cooped up in my room."

"Oh, you didn't. Do you want to know what happens to people who don't do as their told in my Kingdom?"

She licked her lips nervously and shook her head, unable to make a sound.

Vincent's eyes went to her mouth. Her soft trembling lips enticing him. The urge to kiss them was so strong. And why couldn't he? Who said he had to care, had to feel anything?

She wrapped her arms around herself, not sure if the chill was from the night air or his icy stare. He took off his jacket and surprised her by wrapping it around her. He pulled her closer to him. His gloved hand tilted her chin up.

He could see in her eyes a need. He knew she wouldn't resist. He bent his head and kissed her without mercy. All his frustration, all his anger over all these years suddenly let loose as he plunged his tongue into her hot mouth.

Mercy's first reaction was shock, but she could somehow feel his emotions, knew he was angry, but not at her, at himself. She felt his desperate need. Then there were her own feelings. She felt desire grow in her and it scared her.

Even though he was sure she would let him kiss her, he didn't expect her to really want to kiss him. In truth he wanted her to hate him. It was what he deserved. She was caring. Then he felt her fear, not being able to distinguish it was really fear of her own emotions, he didn't want to scare her. That's when the pain started. It exploded in his head worse than before. For a moment he was even blinded. He saw flashes of Ethyl's face in his mind. He let out an almost animal cry. He took some deep breaths and the growing anger in him helped to make the pain subside.

When he saw Mercy reach out a hand to try and help him, he jumped forward, putting his hands on either side of the railing beside her, effectively trapping her in his arms. Not really certain if he was looking at Mercy or Ethyl he sang venomously . . .

"Your cruel device  
Your blood, like ice  
One look could kill  
My pain, your thrill

I wanna love you but I better not touch  
I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop  
I wanna kiss you but I want it too much  
I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison  
You're poison running through my veins  
You're poison  
I don't want to break these chains

Your mouth, so hot  
Your web, I'm caught  
Your skin, so wet  
Black lace on sweat

I hear you calling and it's needles and pins  
I wanna hurt you just to hear you screaming my name  
Don't wanna touch you but you're under my skin  
I wanna kiss you but your lips are venomous poison  
You're poison running through my veins  
You're poison  
I don't wanna break these chains  
Poison

One look could kill  
My pain, your thrill  
I wanna love you but I better not touch  
I wanna hold you but my senses tell me to stop  
I wanna kiss you but I want it too much  
I wanna taste you but your lips are venomous poison  
You're poison running through my veins  
You're poison  
I don't wanna break these chains  
Poison  
Runnin' deep inside my veins,  
Burnin' deep inside my veins  
It's poisoning  
I don't wanna break these chains  
Poison  
I don't wanna break these chains . . ."

Mercy managed to break out of the cage of his arms and fled to her room. Her pace slowed when she reached her door. As she turned the handle to her room, she had the feeling she was being watched. She looked around, but saw no one. She nervously slipped inside and shut the door behind her.

A boa constrictor stared at the closed door. This girl was practically a sacrifice waiting to be offered up to any who wanted her. Vincent despised women. He wouldn't care if he helped himself. There wasn't much time left anyway. They would all die. They all needed to get all they could out of life before it was too late. He nodded to the four pythons behind him who were also watching. They had seen her before in the hall and reported to him. After seeing her for himself, he made up his mind and it hadn't been a difficult decision. They would come back when she was asleep.

Mercy undressed and got into bed. She couldn't stop thinking about her encounter with Vincent. Despite what he had done, he hadn't hurt her, but something had happened to him that caused him to go into a craze. A side effect of his trip though Hell? For a moment there it seemed as if he thought she was someone else altogether. But above it all she could feel his pain. It made her want to help him more than anything, which was crazy because he seemed like he could really hurt her if he wanted to.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3  
After Mercy left the fire slowly faded from Vincent's eyes and he came back to himself. Mercy wasn't Ethyl and now he felt regret for how he had treated her. The pain began to grow again in the back of his mind. If just her presence could cause him to completely loose control like that, they were all doomed. He had to turn off the emotions like he had ever since . . . He didn't want to think about Ethyl anymore, but now the memories were being dredged up and there was nothing he could do to stop them . . .

_No matter how hard he tried, he just couldn't stay away. Time and again he'd return to her world. She said she'd come back but the weeks turned into months and the months turned into years. He just had to see her. That would be enough. Just to know she was okay. But it wasn't enough. He tried to ignore the pain in his heart. He refused to admit how much he needed her and how much her absence affected him. Sometimes when he came to her world he would stay for days in the apartment building opposite hers. He'd watch her as she passed by her window. When he'd see her leave her building and go to the bar around the block, he would go up to the roof and watch her from there. Unable to wait any longer, he had even called her once and asked her if she was ready to return with him. She told him she needed more time . . ._

He recalled one of the nights he had visited, one of the darkest for him . . .

_In his apartment after listening to the endless ring of the line she refused to pick up he set the phone on the coffee table and began to sing . . ._

_"The city streets are wet with rain tonight_  
_The taxi drivers swerve from lane to lane_  
_A lonely guitar man playin' down the hall_  
_Midnight blues comin' through the walls_

_I tried to call you on the telephone_  
_I left it off the hook just to hear it ring_  
_You told me you were better off alone_  
_I never knew that tears could sting . . ."_

_Vincent saw her down below on the street leaving her apartment so he immediately went to the roof. Just as he thought, she had gone around the corner to the bar. He continued to watch her, the pain growing by the minute as he saw her meet up with friends. Saw her laughing, seemingly without a care. Even though he came from a different world, it wasn't really that far if you just reached for it. But right now in her own world he might as well be on a different planet._

_"I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars_  
_Lookin' down at all the cars_  
_I can see you_  
_In the window of your favorite corner bar_  
_But to reach you is just too far_  
_And I might as well be on Mars_

_The city seems so old and grey and beat_  
_It closes in and makes me wanna suffocate_  
_And you just live across the street_  
_But that's a billion miles away_

_You've turned my world into a dark and lonely place_  
_Like a planet lost in space, my light's fadin'_  
_I'd cross the universe to be right where you are_  
_But I'm right in your backyard_  
_And I might as well be on Mars_

_I might as well be on Mars_  
_You can't see me_  
_I might as well be the Man on the Moon_  
_You can't hear me_  
_Oh, can you feel me so close and yet so far_  
_Baby, I might as well be on Mars_

_Baby, I can't fly_  
_If I could I'd come down to ya_  
_Maybe I should try . . . ."_

_He stepped to the edge of the roof and looked down. His pain and desperation was so great at that moment he wanted to put and end to it. Eventually he stepped back. He was a King. He had a Kingdom to look after. He couldn't let his feelings for a woman control him like this. This would be his farewell. He wouldn't come back here again. He'd just wait and hope that she would come back to him._

_"I'm on the roof and I'm starin' at the stars_  
_Lookin' down at all the cars_  
_I can see you_  
_In the window of your favorite corner bar_  
_But to reach is just too far_  
_And I might as well be on Mars_

_I might as well be on Mars_  
_You can't see me_  
_I might as well be the Man on the Moon_  
_You can't hear me_  
_Oh, can you feel me so close_  
_And yet so far_  
_Baby, I might as well be on Mars_  
_Yeah I might as well be on Mars_  
_I might as well be on Mars_  
I might as well be on Mars . . ."

_His words echoed in the air as he vanished from the building to return to his World._

Vincent snapped out of the memory. Ethyl had taken him to such a dark place then, but her return would send him somewhere much darker. When she came back she had brought with her much more than he had bargained for. Causing him to go straight into the depths of Hell to try and fix it. But the result only left him and his kingdom in a never-ending grey, a world devoid of sun.

Slowly Mercy's door handle turned and the snakes slithered into the room. The constrictor transformed into human form. He gazed upon the girl in the bed. Her beauty which gave the impression of innocence called to his human self, intensifying his need. He ripped the covers from the bed.

Mercy jolted awake to find a man standing over her. He was very naked and extremely muscled. She didn't stand a chance. She tried to scream, but he clamped a hand over her mouth before any sound could come out. Still, she kicked and tried to push him away. Her hands clawed at his face. The boa signalled to the others. The four pythons slithered up the foot of the bed then twisted around her wrists and ankles, effectively holding her limbs to each post of the bed, just like rope.

The hand lifted briefly from her mouth. She was about to scream, but his hand moved around her throat and squeezed instead. "You don't want to scream, believe me you don't." He kissed her harshly, his body weight now pressing down on her.

His concentration temporarily broken, his body flickered back to snake form. His long length slid over her thigh, across her belly, her breast, . . . Mercy screamed. Immediately the constrictor turned back into a man, hand around her throat. "I told you to be quiet!" Turning her face to the side, his still forked tongue licked her cheek, tasting her skin. His weight was crushing her and his hand kept squeezing her throat . . .

Vincent was pacing his bed chambers when he felt a burning pain stab his heart. He staggered back then heard her scream in his head. A silent pea for help. He steadied himself. In the back of his mind the question: _how could be he connected to her like this?_ Not stopping to think about an answer, he turned to one of his mirrors, willing it to show him the girl. The black glass changed to reveal what was happening to her. His eyes darkened with fury, sparks seeming to crackle within them.

A tear ran down Mercy's cheek. _Not again_, she silently pleaded. Suddenly Vincent appeared by the bed, a whip in hand. It cracked through the air and wrapped around the boa's human neck. Vincent yanked it hard. The man fell back over the edge of the bed and returned to his original form. Then before any of the other snakes could react, Vincent exchanged his whip for a rapier sword and cut through each one of the snakes holding her. They fell to the ground, but their bodies rejoined.

"Get out," Vincent said in a low menacing voice, just seething with anger. They all slithered quickly from the room. Vincent followed and closed the door behind him. Mercy could hear him calling guards to escort them to the dungeon until he had time to deal with them.

Vincent returned. Mercy was curled up on the bed, shaking. He caught up the covers from the floor and threw them over her. He removed his gloves and took her wrists. They were raw from struggling. Then he touched her neck, healing the bruises there. He sat on the edge of the bed for a while as she stared blankly ahead. He cursed himself for not foreseeing this. Even though she was causing him pain, physically and emotionally, at the very least she didn't deserve this. Even with his past experiences and all that had happened, he couldn't stop himself from feeling. He began to sing softly.

"I wish I could tell you something you didn't know  
I wish I could give you something you didn't own  
I wish I could tell you a joke to make you smile  
And I could be with you awhile

Just wanna be that someone you weren't looking for  
Some nameless fascination that showed up at your door  
And when you're sad and blue my jokes still make you smile  
And I could be with you awhile

I just want to take you somewhere you haven't been  
Find an old time movie where we don't know the end  
Lost in the radio, drive another mile  
So I could be with you awhile

I just wanna be that someone you weren't looking for  
Some nameless fascination that showed up at your door  
And when you're sad and blue my jokes still make you smile  
And I could be with you awhile

Tired of serious conversation  
Tangled up in situations  
I feel so free 'cause you want nothing from me

Just wanna be that someone you weren't looking for  
Some hopeless vagabond asleep there on your floor  
And when you're old and gray my jokes still make you smile  
And I could be with you awhile

I Just wanna be that someone you weren't looking for  
Some nameless fascination that showed up at your door  
And when you're old and gray my jokes still make you smile  
And I could be with you awhile  
I just want to be with you awhile  
I just want to be with you awhile  
I just want to be with you.…"

His unexpectedly sweet song gave Mercy the courage to finally speak. "Why do they always attack me? I know most women can walk around freely without worrying about a man trying to attack and abuse them. For me it hasn't been just one man but several."

"Maybe the evil in the world sees you as light and goodness. It attracts them. They want to try and find the other halves of their souls, but in reality they lost them to the devil a long time ago and nothing can bring it back."

"What about you? They say you went into Hell to close the gate, but I don't believe you lost your soul."

"Maybe not, maybe I lost something else."

"If you are talking about your heart, I don't believe you lost that either. You've just buried it deep, but you've had good reasons to." He eyed her suspiciously wondering where she got the information about his past. "Alice told me, don't be too hard on him. All women are not like her, you know."

"And all men are not like the ones you've known." He stood up, replacing his gloves on his hands, about to leave.

"No, please stay with me a while. I feel safe with you."

"Even after what happened on the balcony?"

"I know you were in pain. You just surprised me." She smiled, "You may look like the devil, but appearances can be deceiving."

Vincent for once smiled too. He sat back down on the bed.

"Hold me please."

"I can't."

"Yes, you can."

"No." He stood up again and paced away. "You do things to me. You make me feel things I haven't felt in a long time. Things I should never feel again. It can only lead to disaster." He clutched his head. There was that fire again. He sank to his knees. "I don't want you to see me like this."

"But, I want to help you."

"You can't, nobody can." He spoke through clenched teeth. "I just have to find out how to save this world or die trying and if I do succeed, you can go back Aboveground. You won't ever be able to make it back here, but on the slim chance that you do, I'll have to kill you. I won't risk my kingdom again."

Mercy eyes widened, but she knew he had been hurt badly before, had been betrayed and was at his wits end trying to find a way to save the land which he'd had to watch die over the years. She had to help him. She could feel his pain now too, like they were connected.

Clutching a sheet around her she went over to him. Kneeling in front of him, she took his hands from his head. "Look at me." He did. He looked into her grey-blue eyes and was nearly lost in their endless skies. She took one of his hands and held it to her heart then placed her other hand on his chest, over his heart. She felt the connection.

After a moment the pain in Vincent's head receded. He didn't know how she did it, but maybe there was hope for their world after all. His eyes travelled down to see where his hand rested on her chest. The sheet had fallen down, revealing her breasts. He closed his eyes. She was such a temptation. Her lips parted. She was breathing heavily from the effort of getting his pain under control. The way her thick, wavy, brown hair fell all around her shoulders . . .

He shouldn't even think of her. Especially after all that happened, the attack she had just endured. But she was a temptation, probably sent by the devil himself.

Mercy saw he was struggling with his inner thoughts. The pained look on his face was emotional not physical this time. She wanted to help him. She brought her hand up and touched his face. "Vincent . . ."

His eyes snapped open, dark yet charged with electricity. He grabbed her hand. She licked her lips, a nervous habit. He sang . . .

"Don't touch your lips, don't wear your hair like that  
I feel your presence all around me  
Don't get too close, don't move your eyes like that  
Because they're deep enough to drown me

It don't get hot like this in Heaven  
You fool me with your angel face  
Your master knows where I'm my weakest . . .  
Mercy please, I'm on my knees  
You're my temptation  
Measure my faith, the devil's awake  
He knows you're my temptation

Don't call my name, don't brush my cheek like that  
I curse the day that I found you  
Don't touch my skin, don't dance around like that  
I feel damnation all around you

And so I raise my voice to Heaven  
Please hide me in some holy place  
Protect my soul, I'm almost human . . .  
Mercy please, I'm on my knees  
You're my temptation  
Look down and see, deliver me  
From my dark sensation  
Give me faith, let me wait  
You're my temptation . . ."

Mercy glanced down and saw the evidence of how much he wanted her. No matter what he said, he needed her. "Come to me," she softly called him.

"You're such a liar."

She wasn't put off by his accusations. She tried again, "Won't you come to me."

Vincent started to bend. "Move closer to the fire," He dared.

"Just come to me."

"No, no, no." he put his hands over his ears to block out her soft tempting voice, but it didn't work he could hear her in his head, though he thought it was more likely an illusion the Devil had created to torment him.

"Won't you come to me and I will set you free . . ."

"No, no, no, no . . .

Mercy please, I'm on my knees  
You're my temptation  
Measure my faith, the devil's awake  
He knows you're my temptation  
Mercy please, I'm on my knees  
You're my temptation  
Go away in Heaven's name  
You're my temptation  
Oh, go away, just go away  
My dark sensation . . ."

She saw the conflict in him. He believed she could only bring him ruin. Even after all she had been through, she couldn't explain it. She just heard the need in his voice, saw it in his eyes and his expression, and felt an answering need in her.

She let the sheet fall to the floor as she leaned forward and kissed him and this time he didn't feel any pain only explosive pleasure. This kiss was like nothing she had ever experienced before. It was pure electricity an adrenaline rush. He kissed her back, hard. It had been so long.

Finally they broke apart, gasping for breath. He groaned, "You start this, there's no going back," Vincent warned.

"I don't care. I want someone to make love to me who I know won't hurt me at the same time."

"How do you know I won't? You could be wrong. I could be the Devil."

"No, I know because I've seen the look in your eyes when you told me what happened to your mother, the disgust towards those creatures when you saved me a while ago. Please."

His soul, if he still had one, be damned. He didn't have to love her. Just use her, let go and do what he wanted. He would worry about the consequences later. Since when did he care so much?

Vincent picked her up easily then deposited her unceremoniously on the bed. She uttered a little cry of protest, before he quickly straddled her hips and, with gloves still on, ran his hands slowly over her neck, down her chest, and over her breasts. The cold leather on her skin was so erotic. She closed her eyes, inhaled sharply and arched her back, pushing her breasts into his hands. After stroking his thumbs over her nipples until they became tight and hard, he continued down, measuring her tiny waist and wide hips. Then he bent down and kissed her, his tongue exploring her mouth.

She tangled her fingers in his thick black hair. Then her hands dropped to his shoulders and pushed his jacket off, but before she could get to his sleeveless shirt, Vincent grabbed her wrists and raising her arms above her head, pinned them with one hand. His mouth came back to hers, but instead of kissing her, he turned her face to the side and trailed his tongue down her neck, between her breasts and finally down to swirl around her belly button. Next he moved to kneel between her legs. His gloved hand now massaging its way up her inner thigh until it reached her core. He slipped one gloved finger inside her. Her hips jerked. His hand left her pinned arms to pin her hips instead. He slipped another finger inside, they moved rhythmically in and out. When she thought she could stand it no longer, he added a third. She tightened around him, her mind and body about to shatter when he suddenly removed his hand. He examined his glove and to her shock, licked the wetness from it.

"You taste good. See." He brushed it against her mouth. She licked her lips, tasting herself there. He kissed her roughly. She gasped when she felt his hand brush her nipple which immediately hardened as the moisture met cool air. His mouth settled upon her breast to suck off her essence as his thumb flicked her other nipple. With Mercy's hands now free, she attempted to remove his shirt again, but at the mere thought, Vincent did it himself. In fact all his clothes had disappeared. Before she even realized what he was doing, he shifted and thrust himself inside her. She cried out in surprise before pleasure quickly took over.

Vincent wanted to drive into her hard, with no mercy. Most likely it was due to the frustration and anger he felt from all that had happened in the past and though he refused to admit it, his desperate desire for her. But because she looked so innocent there beneath him-nothing like the Devil-he was able to hold himself in check and began with slow, deep strokes.

Mercy held him tightly to her now. Never had her past experiences been as pleasurable as this. He started to increase his momentum. She tried to hang on a little longer but couldn't. She climaxed around him, letting out a cry of pleasure. He spilled into her with something more like a strangled growl coming from his throat. He slipped out of her and collapsed beside her on the bed. I tear ran from her eye.

"Did I hurt you, or did you just realize you slept with the Devil?"

"No, I just want to thank you for showing me that making love can be all pleasure."

He stared at her for a moment, a strange feeling that he couldn't identify coming over him. Finally he put one arm around her. "Go to sleep," was all he could say. And since she was so tired, she did.

_Everything was black. Not a sound could be heard. The dead silence was enough to drive a person mad. Then as his eyes adjusted, in the far distance all around him he saw an orange glow. He stared and the light seemed to dance. He began to feel a heat that grew warmer and warmer, becoming unbearable. Then he heard screams and moans. They gradually got louder, increasing in volume until his head pounded and he longed for the maddening silence to return._

_He was in Hell. He stumbled forward in the darkness, trying to escape the voices, when in front of him two glowing eyes appeared._

_"You have come to upset the balance of the Universe?" A deep rumbling voice asked in disbelief. "No one has ever attempted such a feat before. Lucky for you I enjoy causing havoc." He considered the proposition with some amusement. "But what makes you think you are strong enough to accomplish such a thing?"_

_"I have no choice."_

_The voice's amusement turned to anger with the complete lack of fear in Vincent's tone. "Everyone has a choice and everyone who ends up here has made the wrong ones in their sorry, pathetic lives. But you think you have power? You are NOTHING! You dare come to me to make a deal with the Devil? I'm the one who makes the deals and I don't think you're worthy. But I do think you would make a nice addition to my little collection down here." He laughed and the sound was one Vincent would never forget, the sound of someone who enjoys inflicting torturous pain._

_Suddenly a hand the colour of blood with long, sharp, black talons reached forward through the darkness and grabbed him by the throat. Vincent felt an icy cold darkness spread through his body. His heart felt as if it were being crushed and his soul felt as though it were being torn from his body. Blood ran from his eyes and trickled from his mouth. Then his body felt like it was decaying on the spot. His hair turned gray, his eyesight dimmed, he wasted away, his skin became thin and stretched tight over his skeleton . . . Through it all the face he saw in his mind was Ethyl's. Then he watched her turn her back on him and walk away forever . . . And the torture continued . . ._

Mercy was awakened by Vincent's murmurs. He tossed and turned in the darkness, but by the candlelight she could see the expression of pain on his face. She shook him awake.

Vincent opened his eyes and looked at Mercy, yet all he could see was Ethyl. His hand went around her throat and squeezed. "You did this!" She had destroyed their world, forcing him to go into Hell, yet still it changed nothing. Their world was still dying. He had suffered agonies in many different forms all because of her . . .

"Vincent," she choked out. "I'm M-Mercy. I-I'm not her. Pl-ease . . ." Her hands were on his, trying to prevent him from strangling her, but she risked reaching one up to lovingly cup his face instead. Suddenly the white light left his eyes. He quickly pulled his hand away and turned from her.

After catching her breath Mercy asked, "Where were you?"

"I was there . . . In Hell."

Mercy gasped. She could feel his pain. It radiated through him. "It's okay. You're here with me now."

"Or maybe I never left."

Mercy bit her lip, trying to hide her hurt. His comment wasn't directed at her, she told herself. She plucked up her courage, turning his face towards hers. "Look at me. You made it out."

"Maybe I should have stayed there."

"No!" Their eyes met, hers shining with tears, his burning with heat. She kissed him.

He was hesitant at first, but soon he felt like drowning in her and he became all consuming. He rolled her beneath him and kissed her with savage hunger. Then he lifted her legs over his shoulders and buried himself deep inside her.

Mercy cried out with surprise and pleasure . . . She could save him. Suddenly all that mattered was that she try . . .


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

The next morning Mercy awoke to find Vincent gone. Feeling a little bereft, she reprimanded herself. She knew nothing further was going to happen from this. It had been one amazing night though. She decided she had better get up and get dressed. But as she did her mind kept straying to Vincent.

Vincent upon arriving at the throne room found Alice. "Has the messenger arrived back yet with the news from the Labyrinth?"

_"Yes, just last night."_

"And?"

_"Well it seems the human girl's presence in the Kingdom is needed to balance out all the negative energy and power that has been introduced to it. It seems they had some periods where evil energy had seeped into the land though the cause was different from our own."_ Alice was careful to leave out the part about the King falling in love with the girl.

"Yes, so they've had a human girl stay in the Labyrinth for many years. There's something your not telling me . . . Wait isn't the King's wife human? I think I did hear a rumour about that. How's that possible?"

_"The human must have some magic ability."_

"What about Mercy?"

Mercy had come down from her room, but stopped when she heard her name and listened.

"She has the ability," Vincent continued. "All we have to do is just hold her here forever and things will return as they were? I don't think I could stand her being here. I can't be in the same Kingdom with her, or even the whole Underground. I would go insane. Having her so close by is a kind of torture. What about after the Kingdom is restored? Will we still need her then?"

_"I don't know your majesty . . ."_

Mercy turned from the conversation in numb disbelief. So he had just used her. He couldn't stand her being here a minute longer. It was all an act. Tears began to burn in her eyes. She didn't think she would care. Didn't think it would hurt, but it did. She couldn't stay here a moment longer. Especially knowing what Vincent had done and what he wanted to do. Keep her there until his Kingdom was restored then toss her aside or possibly even kill her. Mercy started to run. She didn't know where she was going, she just ran.

"I can't stop thinking about her," Vincent confessed. "I didn't think I could ever get fooled and fall again. This can't go on. It'll only cause suffering."

_"But Vincent, you are basing this on the actions of one woman. She may not be the same as Ethyl was. She is a victim like your mother."_

Vincent thought about that for a moment. Maybe Alice was right, but he wouldn't take any chances. She had to remain in his world, but that's all she would be doing. The last thing he needed was to fall in love with her.

Just then one of the pythons slithered quickly over to them. _"The girl has run into the forest!"_

"What!?" Suddenly fear seemed to grip his heart. He dismissed it as being from the fact that he may lose his only means of saving his land, but he was afraid it was really fear of losing Mercy.

Mercy ran through the forest not looking back until she collapsed on the ground from exhaustion. She wasn't there long before she heard something crashing through the trees roaring angrily. She peered cautiously around a tree trunk and clamped her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream.

A creature twice her height was stomping around on cloven hooves. It stood upright on two hind legs. It had short arms, a sharp horn protruding from its forehead, and one giant eye in the centre of its head. It's eye was red and glowed in the moonlight. It hadn't seen her yet, so she slowly backed away before turning to run again. But as she glanced back over her shoulder to see if it was following her, she ran into something sticky.

Mercy struggled to free herself, but it was no use. Pausing to examine what she was caught in, to her horror she discovered it appeared to be a gigantic spider's web. She managed to turn her head, but screamed when she saw the huge black widow spider, slightly bigger that herself, crawling down the web towards her.

Vincent heard Mercy's scream and hurried on. What would he do if he was too late?

_"A black widow's bite is 15 times as poisonous as that of the rattle snake . . ."_ Mercy didn't know where she'd heard that before, but that was all that was running through her mind as the spider's deadly fangs became obviously clear. This is it, she thought and squeezed her eyes closed. When she felt the web shake violently, she opened then again and found Vincent.

Vincent grabbed a hold of one of the spider's legs and, with super human strength, pulled it off it's web. Mercy's relief only lasted for a second as she saw him struggling with the black widow. It was horrible to watch. The spider had reared up on its back legs and its front legs came down on Vincent. They swatted him and held him as it tried to get a good bite on his neck, but Vincent fought back.

Then suddenly he was knocked to the ground. The spider came down on him, but he rolled away and managed to get behind it. He grabbed at it's legs, pulling a few off. Mercy turned her head, trying not to throw up. Vincent quickly flipped the spider onto its back. Its remaining legs trying to gain purchase on the ground to turn itself back over. Vincent quickly grabbed two thick branches that were laying on the ground and used them like a stake and mallet to hammer one through the black widow's chest. It let out a horrible screech before it ceased to move altogether.

Vincent stumbled over to Mercy. He ripped though the web that held her with what strength he had left and pulled her loose. Then he collapsed to the ground. Mercy stared in dismay and horror at his condition. He had a deep gash on his forehead and bite marks around his neck. His clothes were torn and bloodied. She felt tears burning her eyes He was a terrible mess and he had done it all to save her. Even if it was just because she was needed to save the land, she couldn't let him die.

She crawled over to him. "Vincent!" His breathing had become laboured. She had to get him back to the castle. Alice would know what to do. She put one of his arms over her shoulder and half carried, half dragged him back to the castle. Somehow she knew the way. She felt a power coming from the castle that was directing her. Finally they came out of the forest ascended the steps of the castle.

"Alice! Alice!" she called once inside the castle.

_"What is it?"_ He came slithering up to her then saw for himself. _"Quickly this way."_ Mercy followed Alice into one of the bed chambers and realized that it was Vincent's. _"Put him on the bed. No one else must know about what has happened to the King. There is not much we can do for him. We'll have to wait."_

"But what about the bites?"

_"They weren't deep and she didn't bite long by the looks of it. Vincent is very powerful, but the truth is with the Kingdom dying his strength has been waning. He would never admit that but I can tell. We can only wait and see. As for you, you can wait here until he wakes up and face the King's wrath for your foolish actions. Vincent obviously has fallen under your spell, for him to go risking his own life to save yours."_

"Only to protect his only means of saving the land. I heard you two talking. He can't stand to be around me."

_"Because he's in love with you!"_

Mercy gasped. "That can't be."

_"He's trying to fight it but he's afraid he will give in and it will be the demise of not only him but the entire Kingdom. I shouldn't have told you, but you should probably know, even though Vincent hasn't admitted it to himself yet."_ With that Alice slithered out of the room.

"What have I done," she sobbed. Had Vincent ever hurt her? _No._ Only her heart, she thought, but that turned out to be a misunderstanding. He could be intimidating, but she also had no doubt as to what he was capable of. He hadn't done anything yet, but how long would it be before he hit her if she argued with him? She shivered then turned to look at him. Laying in sleep his face had softened and he looked younger. Who was she trying to kid? She knew he would never hurt her like that. She was trying to find a reason not to love him. Not to care. There was none. He had risked his life to save her and no matter the reason, he didn't deserve to die for it, especially not for her. She had to do something.

She walked into the room that joined the bedroom there was a large stone tub filled with water she stuck her hand in it and was surprised to find it was hot. She found some cloths and towels and soaked them in the water. Then she took them back to Vincent. She wiped the blood from his forehead and neck she hesitated a second before taking off his shirt and wiping the blood from his chest, shoulders and arms. She pulled the covers over him when she was done and gazed at him a while. She couldn't help it. Her fingers moved to brush the hair that was soaked with sweat back from his face.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her wrist. Mercy jumped, not realizing that he was awake. "I'm cold," Vincent said with eyes stilled closed.

"I'll find you some more blankets." She shifted to leave.

"No," he said and pulled her body over his on the bed. "I want you. There are worse things than me to be afraid of, as I think you've just discovered."

Somehow she felt warm and safe right now with him. She rested her head on his chest.

"Why did you go into the forest? I told you not to leave the castle."

"I didn't realize what was out there. I know you just saved me so that your chance of saving your world wouldn't be lost, but thanks for saving me anyway."

"That still doesn't explain why you left. I told you it wasn't safe."

"I overheard you and Alice and I know it shouldn't have mattered but you made me believe you wanted me when really you were just using me. That's what really hurt. I couldn't stay around here anymore."

"The reason I didn't want you here is because I **_did_** want you." Mercy turned to look at him with confusion. Even though Alice told her how Vincent really felt about her she just couldn't believe it. "The reason this world is the way it is was because of a woman I fell in love with. I didn't want to make the same mistake again with you. I was afraid that that's what was happening and I know it could only bring misery and destruction like before."

"Not all woman are like that."

"Well I figured you would be the death of me and it looks like I was right."

"What do you mean?"

"I just don't have the power anymore to heal myself. It's gone with all the other magic in the Kingdom. This world is dying and my time has finally come. Unfortunately I can't send you back Aboveground. Tell Alice to take you to the Labyrinth. Maybe Jareth, the King there, can help you."

"No you can't die! You've fought for this too long to give up now. Stay with me!"

"I'm afraid it's much too late. My time has passed away."

"Wait, I was told the only reason I could have gotten here was by having some sort of power or magic. Maybe I could help. I have to try." Remembering Vincent healing her, she placed her hand on the gash on his forehead. She concentrated hard on healing him and felt the power flowing through her and radiating out from her palm. It worked! Now she placed both hands on his heart but Vincent shackled her wrists with his fingers and pulled her hands away.

"You can't! Using that kind of power could kill you so there's no use in saving me. I would just die without you to save our world anyway. I've lived for hundreds of years, gone to hell and back. Your life has just begun. Just lay here with me." Even as he was dying he couldn't bring himself to be sentimental, but he still wanted her to know how he felt in his own twisted way, so he sang . . .

"I used to be so in control  
But reality is losing its hold  
Now I don't know where to begin  
Just look at the state that I'm in  
My mind is in total decay  
I'm comin' to take you away

There's nothing more that I can do  
This maniac's in love with you  
Your biggest fear has just come true  
This maniac's in love with you

My heart has been strapped in a straight jacket love  
The therapy boys say it fits like a glove  
I'm crossing the line in my brain  
The line between pleasure and pain  
It takes all I've got to survive  
This madness will eat me alive

There's nothing more that I can do  
This maniac's in love with you  
Your biggest fear has just come true  
This maniac's in love with you  
There's nothing more that I can do  
This maniac's in love with you  
I'm all locked up inside of you  
This maniac, this maniac . . .

I just don't know where to begin  
Just look at the state that I'm in  
My mind is in total decay  
I'm comin' to take you away

There's nothing more that you can do  
This maniac's in love with you  
Your biggest fear has just come true  
This maniac's in love with you  
There's nothing more that you can do  
This maniac's in love with you  
Your biggest fear has just come true  
This maniac's in love with you  
This maniac's in love with you . . ."

Mercy smiled at sarcastic attempt to tell her he loved her, but Vincent's chest suddenly ceased to rise and fall and she knew he was gone.

He couldn't be dead. He just couldn't. He was the only one who she knew in her heart wouldn't hurt her. She needed him. Her life wouldn't be worth living even if she did manage to get back home. Not without him. She loved him. She could heal him. She knew she could. She had to at least try.

She placed her hands over his heart again. Concentrating with everything she had, she tried to heal him. At first it seemed something was happening, but then there was nothing. She just wasn't strong enough to rid his body of all the poison. Looking at his neck, she saw the veins around the punctures had turned dark, the venom obviously spreading. The only thing left to do was to try and suck it out. Sealing her lips tight over his neck, she sucked. She lifted her head nearly gagging, and spit the blood onto the floor. She continued with the other bites, there was even one on his chest. Finally when she had finished. She put her hands over his heart again. She put all her power and all her love into it.

"You can't go, I love you," she whispered. After what seemed like an eternity, to her amazement a glow settled over Vincent. His skin turned a more healthy colour, His hair even turned a light brown and the stains faded from his face. Then she felt his heart beat. Just as he took his first breath, she collapsed.

Vincent opened his eyes. It didn't seem like he had arrived back in Hell. It wasn't hot enough or dark enough for that. He tried to sit up but there was a weight on his chest. Maybe he was in Hell after all. Then he looked and realized it was Mercy lying on his chest and she wasn't breathing.

She had obviously saved him, but as he predicted it did not end well for her. He turned her over and saw his poisonous blood running down her chin. Quickly he took her to the bathroom and washed her tearstained face, doing his best to wash out her mouth as well. A lump caught in his throat when he discovered a small black stain remained at the corner of her mouth which he could not remove. No doubt testament to her own brush with the Hell he had brought with him.

He placed her back on the bed. And attempted to bring her back. Then cursed. He needed rest to regain his power. "I told you not to do it. Even if I could save this world without you, what would be the point if you're not in it. I don't think I could go on without you . . . I - I love you," he breathed. He gathered all his strength and tried again. Mercifully it finally worked.

Her eyes snapped open and the first thing she saw were his clear blue eyes. She smiled and marvelled at him, reaching up a hand to tangle fingers in his now brown hair. "You're eyes are blue," she smiled.

He stared at her, puzzled by the first thing she chose to say after their near death experience. "They were a long time ago, how did you know?"

"Because they're blue now."

"What?"

"See for yourself."

Vincent gave her a strange look but stood and went to the mirror on the wall. They were blue again. And his face was no longer stained. Even his hair had lightened back to the colour it once had been. But his joy was short lived. He sighed, "Oh, Mercy."

"What's wrong? You're alive. I did it."

"But what price did you have to pay?"

"What are you talking about?"

"You shouldn't have risked your life for me. I almost didn't have the strength to save you."

"But you did." She stood on unsteady feet and made her way over to him, glancing in the mirror. She saw the small stain at the corner of her mouth and rubbed at it, but it wouldn't come off.

"I'm sorry," he said quietly, holding his breath.

"For what. This is nothing. It's a small price to pay to have you back."

Vincent put his arms around her. She was real. She was alive. "I can't understand why you did it."

She looked up into his eyes. "Because I love you."

His heart which seemed to be made of cold stone, had cracked. Normally he wouldn't have believed her, but with what she had just done, he had no doubt she truly did love him. "And I love you too."

Mercy smiled, her own heart warming. She never thought a man would ever truly love her. "I think we should get some sleep before we both drop dead again."

Alice was on his way to check on Vincent when he and Mercy nearly stepped on him in the hallway.

"Hey Alice," Mercy greeted him.

_"You're Majesty . . ."_ Alice spluttered in shock over his appearance. He looked like his old self again. _"What happened?"_

"I died and Mercy saved me." Not stopping to explain, he continued on to the Throne Room. There he found everyone displaying uncontained excitement.

_"Your Majesty, the Kingdom! The Kingdom!"_

"What is it? The end hasn't come now, has it?"

"No the Kingdom is coming back to life!"

Vincent turned to Alice who had now arrived behind them. "There was something you didn't tell me about the prophecy, wasn't there?"

Alice and Mercy looked at each other, then laughed.


End file.
